How are you “keeping going “

[Sunnydays999]

I’m struggling . A lot .
I’m trying to make sure I keep on top of the basics and get out for a walk every day . Dreading half term as nothing to do .
I feel flat

I am trying to slowly do my bit to save the world. Over the last year have switched all bathroom products and started on cleaning ones, started litter picking, switched energy providers, gone vegan 2 days a week. Am doing it slowly and not putting pressure on myself - research something new every couple of weeks and slowly switch products as they run out or change habits when the opportunity arises. Every little win feels like I've done something positive.

Both me and ds are developing ridiculous addictions to food and screens..... I'm getting quite anxious about it now!
Plodding on, day by day trying to keep in touch with people and stay positive. It isn't easy but we are getting there, slowly.

Feeling very low this week. Dc not sleeping/tantrums at bed til late have reoccured (not seen since last lockdown), working and youngest dc started to refuse to log on to daily lessons and any attempt at formal learning results in a battle, and the end result doesn't seem worth the means. We're all knackered and worn down.
But.
The little things have helped and continue to, a bath every day for me, yoga in the morning with real live people online, a takeaway and telly together on the weekend, walks every day for however long we want. Taken a different approach with home school, times tables verbally on walks, lots of reading together, a paint by numbers. DC dismantled an.old cabinet today for me, helped build a flat pack table, and I'm teaching them to use the oven, simple stuff like how to cook fish fingers and focussing on practical stuff. When I do that there are no battles, everyone's happier and I feel they are learning, just not fronted bloody adverbial nonsense (rage!). Oh and I've found a workbook on bed time anxiety which surprisingly dc is going along with.
Oh and I keep watching that lawyer cat video and wetting myself laughing. Small things!!

We’re also going in for celebrations of everything from every culture. Just makes you glad to be alive. Menu plans for Chinese New Year were very easy.

After all of us having Covid and DH & I still suffering some long Covid effects, we are coping with walks in our local woods, eating well (even though I can’t taste anything) and drinking far too much Rum!

I have a toddler and a baby but I 100% get how awful you feel. It's all so endless its bleak and pointless. I am surviving by planing 2 activities for the toddler every day, planning a new meal every second day (I am working through pinch of nom), we get out for a walk every day unless its chucking it down, and I try to give myself little joys like nice chocolate or a glass of nice wine or long hot showers and try to focus on the nice moment. I also push myself (well DH pushes me) to do yoga on the evenings where it is hard to take a deep breath. Its too hard some days though.

We're drawing to the end of half term and we've actually had a great time. Been out on the snow for hours each day. There is no expectation from dc to take them places I can't really afford. Weather also looks nice for next weeks half term so that should help a lot. This week has certainly improved moods all round for most people I know regardless of their individual work situ.

Dieting. My weight is all I have control over.
Homeschooling: at least my dc will benefit from this (the 1:1 input is paying dividends).
Knowing suicide isn’t an option (dc would be devastated)
Believing my PT work makes a difference (NHS MH)
Planning an extra Christmas for the end of the month (what else is there to look forward to?)

@Tal45

We are literally celebrating every single thing that comes along - mainly with the appropriate food and drink! Burns night, Chinese new year, valentines day, pancake day, days from any religion we're celebrating them all!

Me too! Food is the way forward!

Monthly subscription wax melt box from Callan candles - absolutely beautiful
Long baths
Readly magazine app
Knitting / sewing

Things that help

• walks, even if it is raining
• checking in regularly with my sister, she always makes me laugh and we both sympathise with each other without getting into "who has it worse"
• not trying to be superwoman- a cleaner, a tutor, so that the basics (tidy house and maths and English with the children) are sorted
• being fairly ruthless about delegating at work , my juniors are being fab and stepping up

• subscription boxes for little unexpected boosts- Reposed (literary books and small treats); Graze; and then I mix it up either a beauty box/Moi meme/ stationery box

• Outschool classes for my son because he always comes bouncing out full of the joy of learning

• escapism- reading a good book or watching TV

Nothing hugely radical but very little helps

I sort of hate that this is true, but going for a walk outside every day is the thing that keeps me from falling apart. It’s really hard to do though. And occasionally I don’t manage it. But most days I do, and it really does help.

I've deactivated my work email on my cellphone, the laptop during the day is enough, I don't need beeping after hours

Long walks

Cooking nice meals

Giving less of a shit about stuff

Taking things one day at a time, trying to start each day anew with a positive mindset and trying hard not to beat myself up if I’ve had a bad day.
Sending you 💐OP

I'm trying to have themed dinner nights. Nothing elaborate but burns night, Chinese New Year, fish on Friday, curry on Monday, very healthy eating on two nights of the week.

Hiit exercise 3 nights a week and yoga.

But also watching episodes of naff tv programmes from my childhood on YouTube. Very comforting.

I dreaded the christmas holidays thinking what could we do but i was suprised at how my kids managed to amuse themselves. We got my eldest a rubix cube and he played with that for hours a day and he watched videos on how to solve it. Also my boys got into Pokemon cards and learnt how to play the game. They play that together and chess. It can be something simple that ends up taking up alot of time and keeping them amused. Think small and out of the box. Some kinetic sand even can keep them amused. Amazon sell table tennis nets you can attach to your dining table with bats and balls for £11 so they can play table tennis. If you can afford to get some new toys in either off amazon/ facebook market place

Vaccine looks the way, spring coming and finally being able to see our grandchild. In the meantime, trying to fill time with jobs that have needed doing for years.

There are things that are better than this lockdown than the last - school doing live lessons and therefore no friction with the teen as his mh is better this time around which means I feel less like shutting my head in the oven
Spent the summer decorating.
Pre this lockdown more walks within a 30 min drive radius and started taking photos again which is been great
Throughout I've kept strong routine, 4 long days wfh, the job is busy so there's no time to think about anything but it. Dinner on the table. Bed at a consistent time (not that sleep always comes) and up and at them in the morning. Friday's for cleaning. Lots of reading. Sort of forcing a routine into it so it feels normal
Finding this lockdown hard in the sense that walks are very limited from home and the cold means it's often a painful joint experience and there's nowhere to take photos. The weather has been grim and we've been on flood watch more times than I care to count which has been stressful.
But overall I think it's about trying to find pleasure in small things and readjusting expectations of yourself and of life - I'm ticking books off my read 50 on a year challenge, when things ease a bit I will go for a nicer walk etc. The sun is shining through the windows today and that's nice.

I think I am coping by allowing myself to actually 'feel' things and sitting with that feeling instead or just trying to drink the shit out of it (46 days sober) or distract myself or beat myself up for feeling it.

Thanks day I feel sad and overwhelmed - and in pain due to Endo period flare. So I have told DP and the DC that I feel sad and overwhelmed and in pain instead of the usual stiff upper lip and suppression. It seems to help by voicing it and kind of understanding that I feel like that how, but it's a changing emotional state.

I find just saying out loud 'This is shit.' and other people saying 'Yes it is' really helps too.

I’m just enjoying the lack of routine! I have spent years being woken by an alarm (and that will return in future) so now it’s nice to just wake up when I want. If I want to go for a walk I do, if I don’t then I don’t. Again once “normality” returns I know I’ll be rushing here there and everywhere so I don’t care if my fitness dips for a while. Not stressing over things that are out of my control. Honestly I’m kind of enjoying the break from life.

I can bounce back into doing things when necessary, as I’ve done so before so really not worried about keeping up with routines and such like. I think trying to lead a “normal” life just adds to the frustration about what we can’t do. You’re kind of fighting against it rather than accepting it for what it is. I also don’t think about the future or when this all might end. Just take each day as it comes.